Sunday Salon- February's Accomplishments, March's Goals

So I think February was a good reading month for me. My goal was to spend it reading review books; I did read some, but I did not read review books exclusively. Books that I did for review included:

• The Long Song, by Andrea Levy
• When I Was Otherwise, by Stephen Benatar,
• Varamo, by César Aira,
• The Little Russian, by Susan Sherman,
• The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress, by Beryl Bainbridge,
• From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant, by Alex Gilvarry,
• Stay Awake, by Dan Chaon,
• The Baker's Daughter, by Sarah McCoy.

I read a bunch of other books too- I enjoyed most of the review books but I wanted to read a "fun" book and then one thing just lead to another and that's how I finished out the month. You know how it goes!

I had planned to make March be another Science Fiction Month but instead I'm going to call it Books I'm Reading to Prepare for Projects on the Blog Month. There are a couple of publishers I want to approach for Publisher Spotlight series, and I have to read another book for the Capuchin series I've already committed to, and write interview questions as well. And I'll have at least one Europa Editions book this month, probably Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman, and maybe a Booker, and maybe a second Europa. Every time I read a Europa I seem to buy two more. I'm trying to rearrange my library to give them their own shelf. They do look so pretty all together.

Today I'm relaxing with the very funny and strange Yellow Blue Tibia, a science fiction/political parody by Adam Roberts. This book was very well-received in Roberts' native Britain when it was published, so much so that some critics said it should have been nominated for the Booker, and indeed that it was an example of worthy fiction overlooked for being genre. And it's about Russia, so you know I'd be interested. It reminds me of the satire of Vladimir Voinovich. It's about a group of science fiction writers tasked in the 1930s with inventing an alien-invasion myth to work Soviet citizens into a patriotic fervor. Then the story they created is buried until, years later, the story seems to be coming true. Intriguing!

What are you reading today? Leave me a comment- I'd love to know. Have a great Sunday! More Sunday Salon here.